


Summoning a Heart to Heart

by silveradept



Category: Final Fantasy VI
Genre: Gen, Insert Coin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-25 06:44:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6184726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveradept/pseuds/silveradept
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a break between adventures, Terra summons her father to try and learn more about her life before the Empire. Maduin tries to establish a rapport with the daughter he lost so long ago.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Summoning a Heart to Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lightningwaltz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lightningwaltz/gifts).



"I summon you, Maduin, to assist me in my hour of need." Terra held the crystal to her chest, speaking the words that brought forth the spirit residing in any magicite.

"Father will do, you know. As would something like Dad." Maduin, Guardian of Espers, shimmered into a more solid form, called by the magic to aid the person that held his prison until he could break free and take back his own body.

"I'm still getting adjusted to that." Years of wearing the Slave Crown and doing the bidding of the Empire had suppressed any memories Terra had of a childhood, much less any thought of parents. The first time she had heard Maduin call her his daughter, she had looked around to make sure that he was referring to her. Celes seemed much more likely to be the daughter of an Esper - the way she could channel and direct the flow of magic was amazing. And she could sing, like the opera star everyone was talking about. And fight that persistent giant octopus, too.

Maduin smiled at Terra. "I'm still getting adjusted to having my daughter back in my life. You were so tiny when Gestahl stole you and your mother from me and imprisoned me inside this rock. I missed watching you grow up, and I never got to talk, or show you how to use your magic, or to show you the place your mother and I built together. I didn't even get to watch you go through your first crush. That th-"

_"-Treasure hunter-"_

"-Treasure hunter, then, seems like he's got his eye on you."

"And every other woman we've traveled with or met along the way. He's not serious about anyone, Maduin....Father. I'm sorry." Terra turned her head away from him. "It's going to take some time."

"I know. It took a long time for everyone to accept Madeline, too. And you, once you were born. Not every Esper thought you were a blessing to our community. More than a few thought the right solution was to abandon you both and leave the human world behind us. Many of the ones trapped in magicite believe this, and it angers them to still be used to further the goals of humans. Even if your particular group of humans seems intent on destroying all the remainders of the Empire." Maduin sighed. "Madeline didn't like fighting. She was trying to get away from fighting when she came into our world. She wasn't that much older than you, I think."

"How old do you think I am?" She knew it was a loaded question, and she didn't particularly care.

"You'll be twenty next month." He said it with the certainty of someone who has been counting days in prison, but also with sadness at the enormity of the gulf between them, a father and daughter that only now could try to establish a relationship that he felt they should have always had. She had become what the Espers had feared - a weapon of war. Things like genuine, unconditional love and affection were new to her, and he could see her struggling to understand them. He wished there were better role models for family than what they had - two brothers that fought as often as they worked together and a grumpy old man and his granddaughter, both exquisitely talented in their respective arts and utterly unable to communicate how much they truly care for each other. Was that what they would become? "I wish your mother was here. She would probably know what to say. Or she would braid your hair and you would talk about... things. Boys, maybe."

Terra smiled. "You have real charm there," she said, chuckling. "It's pretty obvious why she fell in love with you. Nobody could resist someone so adorably awkward at talking to women."

"Hey," he protested, "she was the first human I had spoken to in centuries. When your best friends look like birds, fortresses, and warrior men, you get a little rusty at flirting."

Terra's face showed her amused disbelief, even as she tried to prevent it from creeping into her response. "As opposed to the angels and beautiful goddesses living next door to you. I've seen some of the other Espers, and how _some_ of our companions always seem to want them nearby."

"If that's your thing, sure," he said, smiling, "but I always knew I wanted something more than just someone to look at." His smile turned more nostalgic than comedic, once again returning to the thing they both had in common - a long absence from loved ones.

"What was she like? Madeline. Mom." Terra fumbled with the word, unsure if it applied and if she could use it to describe someone she had no memory of, who had died long before Terra knew she had even been there.

"Endlessly kind and curious," Maduin said, moving in closer to put a reassuring hand on Terra's shoulder. "At first, she was fascinating, in the same way that seeing someone from a different country is. I wanted to know everything I could find out about the world of humans - food, drink, culture, books, all of it. She told me later that she was worried I was going to put her in a cage and have all the other Espers come over to touch her and ask her questions. She thought that maybe I was going to keep her as a prisoner. Then, maybe if she wasn't considered dangerous, she could end up as an indoor pet. I didn't know how to interact with humans, so it took a while before she could teach me."

"Not many of the other Espers wanted to do much with her at first. We have long memories, and the last significant thing we had done with humans was wage war. They worried about whether she was a spy, a scout, or the first of an invasion of humans looking for new territory. But every day she went outside and said hello and talked to everyone else. And then would remember what it was she had talked to them about all the times before, asking questions about things that hadn't finished or that were issues in someone's life. I don't know how she did it, but if you asked her about anyone in the town, she could tell you what was bothering them the most and what they were most proud of as of that moment. She arranged gifts for birthdays and special dates, she connected us with each other to solve problems and do favors, and she always knew every side in any argument we had, so that she could help resolve them and clear up misunderstandings. She made us all better, somehow. You...you have her eyes," he finished, grasping for the words to describe the way she had made everyone feel.

A commotion from nearby brought Celes over to Terra. "The ship is ready for takeoff again. There are rumors of a giant flying monster in the skies that might be another Esper we can recruit." Noticing Maduin, Celes turned to him. "If you recognize them, will you talk to them?"

"I can try," he responded, "but it will probably be the same as the others. Be prepared to fight." Nodding, Celes walked back toward the ship, where the others were. Terra turned back to her father, looking at the stone in her hand. 

"Thanks for the talk," she said. He smiled at her as he moved in closer, patting her shoulder affectionately. Then, hesitantly, he opened his arms and gave her a hug, alert for any signs of discomfort from her.

To his great surprise, she hugged him back.

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to [AmarieMelody](http://archiveofourown.org/users/AmarieMelody) who helped me tighten up the ending after giving it an excellent beta read.


End file.
